Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is the most modern and powerful technique for studying brain functions non-invasively. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center has acquired a cutting-edge Elekta-Neuromag Vector view 306 MEG system and established the Center for Advanced Brain Magnetic Source Imaging (CABMSI) at UPMC Presbyterian, thereby laying a foundation for remaining at the forefront of medical technology, service and research. The UPMC CABMSI is one of Elekta-Neuromag’s five centers on the continent that, based on a partnership spearheaded by L. Dade Lunsford, MD, (Department of Neurological Surgery), is designated to become Elekta’s premier MEG site and training center for this part of the world. As such, its needs will be supported by Elektra to help it become a center of excellence.

The CABMSI is an extra-departmental entity focused on clinical and research applications of MEG. It is envisioned as a self-sustained module that “fits and feeds” the UPMC system: a resource center that provides a logistical framework for all clinical applications of MEG as well as the widest spectrum of research applications, from basic and applied research to clinical research. The center and MEG program are directed by Anto Bagic, MD, MSc, and (Neurology & Neurological Surgery). Clinical operations will be focused on the currently approved clinical indications for MEG: localization and better characterization of epileptic foci when other means are inadequate (headed by Dr. Bagic) and pre-surgical brain mapping (headed by Robert J. Sclabassi, MD, PhD, Neurological Surgery). Pre-surgical brain mapping may be
performed more frequently, and includes using somatosensory, motor, auditory and visually evoked fields to map locations of the corresponding brain centers in reference to a lesion that will be removed surgically.

No single imaging method provides sufficient understanding of the brain’s network complexity. Thus, improvements of each imaging modality, as well as combining the data from different modalities have been used increasingly. Adequately trained researchers capable of assimilating and applying the increased complexity of individual modalities and the multimodal data is a critical precondition for increasing the readiness of the neuroscience community to address the current and future scientific challenges. To fill this gap, NIH Training Grant T90/R90 for a multimodal neuroimaging training graduate program was submitted on March 15, 2006. It includes a combination of MRI, fMRI, PET, MEG, EEG, and optical imaging. Seong-Gi Kim, Ph.D. (biophysicist, Center for Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh) and William Eddy, Ph.D. (statistician, Carnegie Mellon University) will serve as co-program directors.